beware: american driver on board

2/21- believe it or not, in two days' time i spent roughly six hours on the computer, at an internet cafe, uploading photos! i hope you've been able to take a look at them. saturday afternoon, simon took me to the pool where he and his friend claire often swim laps. i loved the chance to tread water, as i've been doing in the ocean, but i felt much safer here. in the ocean i picture my head as the bobber, and my flailing hands and legs like shark bait (reminds me of the movie finding nemo). all i need is a bloody cut and i'd make the perfect lure! i'm sure the likeliness of me getting attacked by a shark is as good as my plane going down, but i sometimes cant help my overactive mind. anywho, later that evening we all went to vietnamese for dinner. my first experience in this nationality culinary cuisine. it was delicious! claire, her 12 year old son kiam, and her mum mary, simon and i had a lovely evening. turns out they used to live in the same town in england where i studied abroad in college; winchester. and also come to find out, simon has visited there as well. a rather small world of intertwined stories, really. ultimately, thats the reason i met simon in the first place, because doing the exchange with usm/king alfred's college in the uk allowed me to meet paul, and paul was the one to convince me to move to tokyo where i met simon. hindsight is a good tool to look back and reflect on how our decisions in life lead us to pathways to our future. its important to take time and look back on where you were a year ago, two or three even. if nothing much has changed or interesting transpired, maybe its time to step out of your comfort zone a bit!

after vietnamese, we went back to claire's apartment where we played a card game that rushed nostalgic memories back to mind: MILLE BORNES. anybody else remember playing this french card game full of stops, flat tires, accidents and empty gas tanks?

2/22 this was a day of firsts. simon's theory that when something causes you anxiety the best way to cure it is to do that very thing. as in, me driving! its no coincidence that my first experience was on the open roads with very little traffic around. although, wouldnt you know it, the first minutes i'm behind the wheel (on the "wrong" side of the car), up over the knoll of the highway are a cop car's lights. the trepidation set in immediately that i was doing something wrong, warranting trouble. but alas, it was just a branch down in our side of the road, and i was able to overtake (pass as we say) the cop car and continue on our way. each time i attempted to signal, instead of using the blinker i'd set off the windshield wipers. i had a chance to go around a few roundabouts. i'm not sure i'll ever get over my worries of driving in this country, but perhaps it will give me the confidence i lack so i can more assertively drive better at home.

the other first was witnessing my first wild kangaroo. our first destination was cheyne's beach (pronounced chains) where simon's brother Julian and his wife own a beach house. the view was spectacular, and the weather was much windier and cool than perth. that didnt stop us from going for a swim. more beautiful white sand beaches, and we celebrated with a bottle of sparkling wine. we even got a lad to take a group photo of us all. its times like this one i really feel like i'm on holiday! at dusk when i went out onto the deck with my red wine, i noticed a roo on the neighbor's lawn, having a feast. simon said it was unusual to see a solo as they usually travel in groups. julian and fiona have four lovely children. riley, wil and archie (twins) and missy. they welcomed me into thier home like i was part of the family. i've eaten some superb food while i've been here, but last night's lamb roast may top the list. it was phenomenal, although friends dave and miguel can cook some mean lamb as well, probably the ambience and romance of being in australia might be factors. after the kids went to bed, the adults enjoyed good conversation and they shared some australian music with me, some of which included a dvd of the tsunami benefit held in sydney back in 2005.

it was like a bed and breakfast in the morning with my first cup of coffee since i've been here, and freshly made bacon and eggs. i had my jimmy buffett t-shirt on and they all inquired who he was. unfortunately, i didnt bring any of his music, but it seemed fitting for the ocean view. its been amusing, and a bit embarrassing, to discover how many of the artists i've been thinking are american but are actually from australia. i admit, i'm a layman when it comes to music. it seems a lot of the culture of both countries are mixed. CSI and even soap operas like days of our lives are popular shows here. and the magazines keep current with hollywood celebrities. its easy to forget i'm in another country at times. after breakfast, simon enjoyed sharing the jelly belly gourmet beans i brought. they were amazed how flavorful the lollies are. simon and i took a walk on the beach before hitting the road for a 45 minute journey to albany where we'll stay for two nights with his sister. tonight will be a family get together to celebrate simon's mother's birthday just a couple of days ago. that brings us currently up to date!

signing off, for now.....